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The draft of *Yi Tong* (General Treatise on Medicine) was completed, and I almost wanted to burn it. This year, my elder brother instructed me, saying, "The prefaces and collected effective prescriptions left by our late father are hand-written traces; how can they not be transmitted?" Thus, I supplemented and revised the text, dividing it into nine chapters, totaling ninety-five sections, organized into upper and lower volumes. After reading it several times, my heart raced and sweat poured from my face. I stood before my brother for a long time unable to speak, then finally said, "Humans have a fixed lifespan; physicians excel at altering it, yet even sages and wise men cannot add much to it. Diseases follow their own qi mechanisms; physicians often err in handling them, but natural creation does not allow for artificial chiseling. My brother asks if I truly possess medical skills! Those in Confucius's school who learn farming and gardening are considered minor pursuits, while Laozi speaks falsely of formless voids—what has medicine to do with that? This compilation merely offers words that thoroughly penetrate the depths and heights of medicine."

On the first day of the sixth month in the Renwu Year of the Jiajing Era, Feixia Zi Han Tianjue wrote this preface.

(There are eleven sections in total.)

Feixia Zi said: All things in heaven and earth take form through the condensation of Qi. If one does not occupy the proper position nor undergo nurturing, disease arises. The way of medicine lies in humans cultivating Qi and practicing their physical form to achieve harmony and equilibrium (Zhong He). If this state is lost to the extent that acupuncture, moxibustion, or herbal decoctions become necessary, these belong to secondary principles. The *I Ching* (Book of Changes), Hexagram Wu Wang (Innocence), Line Nine-Five states: "Diseases arising from innocence need no medicine; there will be good fortune." Confucius said: "Medicines taken without cause should not be tested." This represents the highest principle. One who grasps the highest principle of medicine understands that the rushing of Qi and the transformation of Spirit all rely on the true breath reaching the heels (Zhen Xi Yi Zhong—indicating deep, rooted respiration). Lu Bian pointed out ailments in children, Hua Tuo dissected intestines, and Bai Yuchan cured buttock abscesses with incantations—was it merely through herbal decoctions? Was it merely through acupuncture and moxibustion?

Earth constitutes the Rushing Qi (Chong Qi), while the Spleen and Stomach constitute the Grain Qi (Gu Qi). The Rushing Qi resides and thrives, assisting the Grain Qi in its circulation without a moment's pause; this is what is called the True Breath, rooting itself at the heels. The place of utmost emptiness is the pivot of Qi and the dwelling of Spirit. Therefore, it is said that all things carry Yin and embrace Yang, and the Rushing Qi brings them into harmony. Only then can one understand that the creative shaping of medicine originates from here. The *I Ching* states: "To be spiritual and illuminate [the Dao] depends on the individual."

Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs, though not explicitly recorded in classics, may well be true in principle. The ancient texts attributed to Xuanyuan Huangdi (Yellow Emperor), Qibo, Yin Xian, etc., are difficult to fully trust. In the *Rites of Zhou*, the Grand Shaman in charge of divination managed medicine and divination; thus, medicine as a Way is merely a skill!

Before the Qin and Han dynasties, there were theories but no formulas. Hence, books like the *Neijing* (Inner Canon) are solemn and detailed, yet contain much language appended and mixed by later generations. From the Han and Wei dynasties onward, there were formulas but lacked theoretical explanation—not that there was no theory, but the more words used, the more obscure the principles became. Since the emergence of gentlemen such as Zhang Zhongjing, Liu Wansu, Dai Yuanli, and Li Dongyuan, who established laws and classifications, traced diseases to their origins, and prescribed formulas, the meanings of the classics became clear. Zhu Zhenheng (Danxi) was able to synthesize the achievements of famous physicians, revering the *Suwen* (Basic Questions) and *Nanjing* (Classic of Difficult Issues) as equivalent to the Six Classics, using the Hundred Schools of Thought as wings. Medicine as a craft became remarkably prominent! Today, books fill the shelves, leaving scholars gazing at the ocean in awe. How can we revive these masters to correct errors, edit and narrate anew? With Classics, Commentaries, and Histories, so that the Way of Medicine does not sink into mud, but achieves the ultimate merit of Harmony and Equilibrium, only then would it be satisfying!

Humans exist within the intersection of Qi, like fish in water. Qi can cause illness or health, just as water can make fish fat or emaciated. Therefore, when physicians manipulate the transformative mechanisms, even Heaven and Earth cannot go against them. How much less so humans? Or spirits and ghosts?

The Five Movements and Six Qi, although based on solar terms, drift over years due to calendar discrepancies. Within a single day, the four seasons are actually contained. A scholar who excels in recognizing heavenly timing knows that each moment has its own movement and Qi, not just each year.

Wind and local conditions vary naturally, creating barriers of Qi. Ancient times divided governance into Northern and Southern policies. Based on modern maps, with the Yellow River dividing North and South, regions east of the Yangtze and west of the passes can be analogized. "North and South" refer to the tracks of Yin and Yang, the hub of the four directions, and the convergence of the Eight Winds.

Heat generates Wind, Cold generates Dampness, Wind generates Fire, Dampness generates Phlegm, Fire generates Summer-heat, and Phlegm generates Dryness. These are the Five Movements and Six Qi within the human body, ceaselessly flowing in every breath. Metal corresponds to white color, loud voice, and Gong tone. These are also the wind and soil of the body, which father and son cannot exchange. Thus, human endowment is simply three heavens and two earths, with a single flow of Qi. When Qi loses balance, it is called Ji (minor ailment); when severe, it is called Bing (disease). The interdependence of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, Human) is called Ji (mechanism); the movement of this mechanism is called Shi (timing). The *Yinfu Jing* says: "When Heaven issues the killing machine, stars shift and constellations change; when Earth issues the killing machine, dragons and snakes rise from the land; when Humans issue the killing machine, Heaven and Earth overturn." It also says: "Eat according to the time, and all bones will be regulated; move according to the mechanism, and all things will be at peace." And again: "When the Three Powers are suitable, and the Three Thieves are at peace." Alas! Can this契 (connect with) the profound essence of medicine?

The principles of medicine can be compared to the *I Ching*. Acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal decoctions are akin to divination methods. Danxi claimed that "Cold generates Qi," which Gao Yangsheng called a fallacy. I argue that "Cold generating Qi" corresponds to the Fu Hexagram (Return), and "Heat generating Wind" corresponds to the Tai Hexagram (Peace). These are the transformative mechanisms of the celestial root and lunar cave. As stated in the *Neijing*: "Excess leads to harm; succession brings control." Thus, Wang Andao argued: The *I Ching* represents the unpredictable nature of creation. Precisely because it is unpredictable, divine transformations cannot be measured. The *I Ching* states: "One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao; the unpredictability of Yin and Yang is called Shen (Spirit/Divinity)." Why do those skilled in medicine and divination belittle themselves? Since the beginning of creation, the mutual support and overcoming of the Five Qi, along with the cycles of Yuan, Hui, Yun, and Shi, have their own numerical destiny. Heaven, Earth, and all things cannot escape this. In recent times, the Earth Movement prevails; thus, people fall ill even without apparent causes, differing from the previous dynasty where Heat was predominant. For instance, the so-called Syphilis (Yangmei Chuang) spread from South to North, affecting people uniformly. Due to damp Earth generating mold, it should be called Meichuang (Mold Sore). When studying the Five Movements and Six Qi, and Northern and Southern policies in medical texts, why limit oneself to a single year or moment, instantly forgetting the overarching cycles of worldly eras?

Song Neo-Confucians stated that a son must know medicine. They also said, "If one cannot be a virtuous chancellor, one should be a virtuous physician." It is a pity that not everyone can achieve this. Su Dongpo once said: "Choose a particularly outstanding physician, first inform him of your symptoms, then let him palpate the pulse to verify. I only wish to cure my illness; why must I examine his techniques?" This deeply understands the method of employing physicians. However, medical texts discuss "Inspection, Auscultation/Olfaction, Inquiry, and Palpation" (Wang, Wen, Wen, Qie). These were wrongly annotated by the recent scholar Xiong Zongli. Therefore, I formulated a case combining six methods, hoping to fully utilize the sacred, divine, skillful, and clever aspects of medicine.